I am delighted to tell you that The Rt Reverend R. Mwita Akiri, Bishop of the Diocese of Tarime, will be with us for the Lay Readers’ Conference in North Bay. I have taken the liberty of asking if he would take my place in leading the workshop on ‘What is the Gospel?’ and he has gladly agreed.

Let me tell you why I am excited to report this. The word ‘gospel’ has a number of cultural connotations. Some of us may associate it with the language of the televangelists. Others think of it as a ‘church word’, with a particular focus on Sundays and the reading that comes before the sermon. Yet others know that the word means ‘good news’, but even what we consider to be good news is contingent on our own contexts and experiences. Sometimes it is helpful to enter into a new perspective on what is familiar to us.

The ‘gospel’ in the African experience is a thing of tremendous life transforming power. Bishop Mwita will remind us of the divine roots of this word, and of what it means for us to call ourselves a gospel people. I look forward to introducing him to many of you, and to sharing in this weekend of learning.

Further information on the Lay Readers' Course, happening in North Bay 25-27 September, can be found here.